tiny newsletter #173: david hockney retrospective tour!!

bonjour from paris! 

yes i just got back from italy, there is simply no justification for my travel plans this summer. but yday i went to the fondation louis vuitton to see the david hockney retrospective and it was wonderful. so today, let’s take a tour together.

david hockney is a 87 yr old english artist who's most famous for his landscape and portrait paintings. the show takes over nearly the entire building (rare, it's a big place) – there's over 400 pieces, most made over the past 25 yrs. 

the exhibit starts in the basement, in a bright red room with some of his earliest works. like many artists, his initial works look completely diff from what he's known for now (you'll see in a sec). s/o to this piece's 1 realistic mountain peak, lol. 

next, there's a room that feels a little obligatory (respectfully) w his california pool works that initially made him quite famous, like "a bigger splash". but standing here you could already see his vivid, bold landscapes in the next space, and i was far more excited about those. 

ok it was swarmed in there so my pic of the rooms are not great. but this section included a wide range of works, from watercolor drafts to enormous 50-panel paintings. details from my favs: a v red grand canyon, pink valleys and trees, daffodils just peeking up.  

after that, there's rooms of his portraits, a mix of famous individuals and ppl in his life, including himself. i esp loved: these shoes, this tie (from one of his self-portraits, it’s his!), and the way he depicted forehead lines. such life in these marks! 

past that, there's another room of his landscapes and spaces. i'm still thinking about his: raindrops, interpretation of giverny, this sky behind a fruit tree, a dreamy reading nook. 

finally, the last piece was a v meta self-portrait. in it he's sitting outside in a dapper suit painting himself, who in the painting is doing the same. 

i think we should all be wearing yellow glasses and having a little more fun – ultimately, the impression i left w was all of these pieces were an absolute joy to make. more purple trees!! ty for looking w me. 

💌 and that’s the tiny letter! thank you for reading, xo aud

ps he did a bunch of ipad art but it didn’t interest me as much, so you’re stuck w my pov instead. it’s up til aug 31st if you happen to be in town!